I almost hit my Goodreads reading challenge in 2025: 60 books read in 2025! (I was only one shy, and I blame the fact that I typically read two to three books at a time). Even so, as usual, I read a huge variety of books, from middle-grade fiction with my kids to lengthy fantasy books based on incredible worlds.
So, out of these 59, which were my favorites? Keep reading for a round-up and why I chose these ten. (Please note: these books were not published this year; they’re simply ones I chose to read from my massive TBR list).
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Favorite Books That I Read In 2025
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
This isn’t your typical story about love, friendship, family, and magic. Rather, it’s about the raw beauty and tragedy of life with a dose of magic thrown in, and it was hands down the number one book I recommended to people after devouring it. Jandy Nelson has long been a favorite author of mine – with her other books, I’ll Give You the Sun and The Sky is Everywhere – and once again she bowled me over with this epic and magical tale.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
If I had read this when it first came out in 2020, I would never have read it. But five years later, this book about a pandemic that tears through the world was a stark reminder of what really matters in this lifetime: the connections we have, even if we don’t really know about them. That’s all I can say without spoiling this beautiful and eerie book.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
I’m a sucker for riveting historical fiction, even more so when it’s based on the real life of an inspiring woman. It’s a story of family, community, and the bonds that tie us together despite (and sometimes because of) tragedy, all with a mystery mixed in.
Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Both of my kids enjoyed this one, which isn’t easy to do when you have an 8 and 11-year-old in the house. Set during the Vietnam War, Doug Swieteck finds unexpected solace when he discovers the artwork of James Audubon and learns a whole lot about himself and his place in the world.
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Another artwork and history-based book. Alternating between three timelines, including 1850s Kentucky, this book isn’t just about one of the most famous racing horses in history, Lexington; it also delves into how art can connect us to the past and what history can teach us about injustice.
The One and Only Ivan By Katherine Applegate
Once again, both my kids and I loved this book. Applegate is one of my favorite kid lit authors, and this first novel (of a four-book collection) tells the story of a gorilla named Ivan from his own point of view, as he navigates life in a mall. Since reading the first book, my youngest has devoured Applegate’s other books about Ivan’s friends and family.
Banyan Moon by Thao Thai
I love my local book club, because it always introduces me to books I might not have otherwise read. Banyan Moon is an intensely personal book about the complicated dynamics between generations as well as between mothers and daughters. From 1960s Vietnam through present-day Florida, the women of this book shed light on life as immigrants, why we keep secrets… and what happens when those secrets come out.
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
I am rarely surprised by a book, often guessing the twists and turns before they happen. But all I will say about this powerful book, narrated by a teenager and the teenager’s boyfriend’s mother, is that I did not see that coming. Go read this now, then message me, so I can talk about it more.
The Raven Boys Book #1 by Maggie Stiefvater
The blurb for this book may make it seem that Blue Sargent, a daughter of a clairvoyant, may be the center of the book, but it’s also just as much about the four boys from the nearby boarding school that she befriends. Together, they get caught up in a dark and sinister world full of magic and legends.
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
If it wasn’t abundantly clear that I love historical fiction, now you know. And this one was FUN. Based on the real history of Bletchley Park, home to an important group of WWII codebreakers, this middle grade historical adventure follows young Lizzie as she tries to figure out what happened to her mother… and discovers her 19-year-old brother is playing an important role in taking down the Nazis.
Favorite Reads of 2025: Runner-ups
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Another multigenerational book about the beauty of life and love with a magical bent! Yep, I’m a sucker for these, too. While this one was marketed as a young adult book, it felt more like YA crossover. It’s very much about how Ava grows up and learns to love her wings (literally), but it’s a story about all the different kinds of love there are, and how they shape our world.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
If you love mythology, you’ll love Song of Achilles, as it tells the legendary tale of Achilles through the perspective of Patroclus, first his friend and then his romantic partner, despite the machinations of Achilles’s mother, the sea nymph Thetis. Miller, just like she did with Circe, spins a tale about a minor character and turns it into a beautiful and powerful story not only about the lovers but also about the unfolding of the Trojan War.
What were your favorite reads of 2025? Share them below!
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